Replay: Chez Mellusi injured; Wisconsin beats Purdue, 38-17, in Big Ten opener

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Wisconsin’s Big Ten season kicked off with some Friday Night Lights.

The Badgers defeated Purdue, 38-17, in front of a crowd of 55,529 at Ross-Ade Stadium.

Wisconsin won its 17th straight in the series and hasn’t lost to the Boilermakers since 2003. UW hasn’t lost to them here since 1997.

Defense bends but doesn’t break in fourth quarter

Wisconsin's defense is tightening up just enough to allow the team to maintain a comfortable lead in the fourth quarter.

The Badgers forced two turnovers during that stretch. Ricardo Hallman's interception, his second of the day, and a forced fumble and recovery by end Darian Varner were the big plays for UW.

Varner’s recovery, which came with 5:02 left, gave Wisconsin a first down at the Purdue 26. Three plays later, Braelon Allen reached the end zone on a 4-yard run.

UW added a two-point conversion on a pass from Will Pauling to QB Tanner Mordecai to push the team’s lead to 21 points.

Consider it a nice bounce-back for a defense that was took its licks in the third quarter.

Score: Wisconsin 38, Purdue 17, 3:35 left in fourth quarter

Chez Mellusi suffers leg injury

Badgers running back Chez Mellusi has battled injuries throughout his career. He suffered another one with 6:37 left in the game.

The senior went down after a 1-yard loss on a second-and-10 play with what appeared to be a left ankle/foot injury. He grabbed his leg and immediately signaled for help. An air cast was placed on the leg and he was taken to the locker room in a cart.

Before he left, the entire UW bench came on to the field to wish him well.

He finished the night with 11 carries for 39 yards.

Nathanial Vakos comes close to season-long field goal

Nathanial Vakos hit three field goals in the loss to Washington State two weeks ago. Early in the fourth quarter, he connected on his third kick of the night, a 48-yarder that's 1 yard off his season long.

Score: Wisconsin 30, Purdue 17, 12:52 fourth quarter

Wisconsin started fast. Will it finish strong?

Purdue has scored touchdowns on back-to-back possessions. The latest came on a 6-yard run by quarterback Hudson Card that cut the Badgers' lead to 27-17 following the extra point.

A 15-yard pass from Card to WR Deion Burks followed by a 24-yard run RB Tyrone Tracy set up the Boilermakers with a first-and-goal.

Score: Wisconsin 27, Purdue 17, end of third quarter

Nathanial Vakos connects again

Nathanial Vakos has his second multi-field-goal game of the season.

He connects from 22 yards out to push the Badgers' lead to 27-10. The possession, which went 11 plays and 71 yards and took 4:48 off the clock, was a nice response to Purdue’s first touchdown drive of the day.

Score: Wisconsin 27, Purdue 10, 3:54 third quarter

Should we be worried about the UW defense?

Purdue has moved the ball three of the last four times it has had it. The Boilermakers went 58 yards in eight plays to hit a field goal late in the first quarter. At the end of the first half, they moved 61 yards in 11 plays to the UW 36 but ran out of time. That drive ended with a Ricardo Hallman interception on the final play before the break.

Purdue maintained that momentum on its first drive of the second half. It moved 75 yards in eight plays, getting its first touchdown of the day on a 19-yard run by Tyrone Tracy at the 8:42 mark of the third quarter.

That’s 202 yards of offense for the Boilermakers on their last four possessions.

Score: Wisconsin 24, Purdue 10, 8:42 third quarter

Is it too soon to call Nathanial Vakos Mr. Reliable?

The Badgers added to their lead with their fourth scoring drive in five possessions.

This one ended with a 38-yard field goal by sophomore Nathanial Vakos, who has provided the Badgers with what you want from your kicker: No drama.

The transfer from Ohio is 5-for-5 on field goals this season and hasn’t missed an extra point.

The big run of the drive came from Braelon Allen, whose 52-yard dash gave the Badgers a first-and-goal from the 9. Allen, by the way, has 98 yards in 10 carries so far.

Score: Wisconsin 24, Purdue 3, 11:44 third quarter

Ricardo Hallman gets second interception of season

Purdue finished the first half with its longest drive of the day, moving 61 yards in 11 plays during the final 2:02 of the second quarter.`

QB Hudson Card did most of the damage with his legs. He gained 47 yards in four runs on the drive, but the Boilermakers ran out of time and were forced to go for the end zone on a third-and-1 play from the Wisconsin 36 as time ran out in the half.

Hallman, 5-10 and 177 pounds, won the physical battle with Jayden Dixon-Veal (6-0, 185), gaining position on the junior at the goal line for his second interception of the season.

Score: Wisconsin 21, Purdue 3, halftime

Braelon Allen reaches paydirt; Wisconsin increases lead

Three possessions for Wisconsin, three touchdowns.

Braelon Allen ‘s 14-yard touchdown run added to UW’s lead and capped the team’s most impressive drive so far. Sixteen plays. Seventy-five yards. Eight minutes, 41 seconds off the clock.

Wisconsin converted four third downs on the possession, but nearly spoiled the drive with back-to-back holding calls on tackle Riley Mahlman and tight end Hayden Rucci that pushed a first-and-goal situation at the 7 back to the 22-yard line.

Those penalties, however, proved to be only a momentary setback for UW, which is up to 190 total yards.

Score: Wisconsin 21, Purdue 3, 6:36 second quarter

Purdue gets on the board, but UW defense makes stand

After falling behind, 14-0, the Boilermakers' first three plays of their next possession went for gains of 12, 18 and 25 yards, giving them a first down on the UW 20.

But the Badgers tightened up from there. Safety Hunter Wohler dropped RB Dylan Downing for a 3-yard loss and after an incompletion, Purdue hurt itself with a false start penalty that set up a third-and-18 situation.

Purdue settled for a 34-yard field goal by Julio Macias.

Score: Wisconsin 14, Purdue 3, 17 seconds first quarter

Tanner Mordecai beats Purdue with his feet again

The Badgers are officially off to the fast start that alluded them for the first three games.

Tanner Mordecai’s 8-yard touchdown run with 3:26 left in the first quarter capped a seven-play, 38-yard drive that took 2:44 off the clock.

That drive was aided by a 20-yard Purdue punt by Jack Answll that came after two Boilermaker long gains were nullified due to holding penalties.

Score: Wisconsin 14, Purdue 0, 3:26 first quarter

Quarterback Tanner Mordecai's run gives Badgers early lead

Fans wanted a fast start from Wisconsin. Well, so far so good.

UW posted scored a touchdown on its first possession of the game, driving 62 yards in eight plays and scoring on a 14-yard run by QB Tanner Mordecai. This marks the first time this season the Badgers scored on their first offensive possession.

The Badgers converted three first downs on the drive and scored the touchdown on a third-and-4 play.

Score: Wisconsin 7, Purdue 0, 10:05 first quarter

How much will the Badgers rely on Braelon Allen tonight?

Journal Sentinel columnist Lori Nickel spoke to the Badgers running back about his evolving role this season. He has carried 36 times in three games with a season-high 17 attempts (for 141 yards) in the season opener.

Purdue has struggled to slow the Fond du Lac native over the years. He ran 16 times for 113 yards and a touchdown against the Boilermakers as a freshman and 12 times for 140 yards and two touchdowns last year. That’s 9 yards per carry overall.

Jake Renfro’s health is improving

The availability report is out for today’s game and center Jake Renfro (right foot) is listed as questionable after being listed as out for the first three games. Here is the complete list.

Questionable

C Jake Renfro

Out

DB Michael Mack

DB Max Lofy

WR Tommy McIntosh

TE Riley Nowakowski

OLB Aaron Witt

WR Chris Brooks

TE Jack Pugh

DE Isaiah Mullens

What time do the Wisconsin Badgers play today?

Kickoff for the Wisconsin-Purdue game is 6 p.m. Friday.

Wisconsin vs. Purdue: How to watch and listen to the Badgers' game tonight

What channel is the Wisconsin Badgers' game on?

The game will air on Fox Sports 1.

Wisconsin vs. Purdue football predictions

Wisconsin (2-1) is a 6-point favorite over Purdue (2-0). What do our reporters think? Here are our predictions for the Badgers Big Ten opener.

Wisconsin football 2023 schedule

Badgers schedule: Here's a look at every game for Wisconsin this season

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin football beats Purdue 38-17: score, live game highlights